VMK20 headphones broken, want to return them
Electronics break sometimes. It sucks, but it's a fact of life. The good news is we're not the kind of company that shrugs and points at the door. At Valco, we fix things. And if a repair doesn't make sense, we figure out something else.
Let's go through how to move forward from here.
First: what's actually broken?
Before you box up your headphones, let's check a couple of things. Surprisingly many "broken" headphones come back to life with one trick:
- One side is silent or cutting out: Push the 3.5mm AUX cable all the way in and pull it back out. This resets the Bluetooth chip. Restart the headphones and reconnect.
- ANC is buzzing or hissing: Check that the ear pads are sitting snugly against your ears. If the pads have softened after months of use, the seal suffers and ANC starts acting weird.
- Sound is distorted or off: Try the headphones with the AUX cable, no Bluetooth. If the sound is clean over the cable, the problem is the Bluetooth connection, not the speaker itself.
- Headphones won't turn on: Charge them via USB-C for at least an hour. Sometimes the battery is just dead.
If none of this helps and your headphones are genuinely broken, move on to the next step.
Warranty repair or return?
Valco offers a 24 month warranty. If your headphones are still within the warranty period and the fault is a material or manufacturing defect, we'll fix them free of charge. Our repair shop is in Kajaani, and Jasse or some other pair of hands will sort it out.
Here's how to proceed:
- Email us at info@valco.fi
- Include your order number and order date
- Describe the fault briefly, no need to write a novel
- Attach a photo of the defect if possible (e.g. a detached part, visible damage)
- We'll reply and tell you where to send the headphones
A device that breaks after one day of use is a clear warranty case. No need to overthink it.
Note: Our first move is always to repair the device. We don't automatically send a replacement, because we believe in not throwing things away. If a repair isn't possible, we'll sort out next steps with you.
What if the warranty has expired?
If your VMK20 headphones have served you loyally for several years and the warranty period is behind you, you've got a couple of options:
- Repair package: You can buy a repair package (a flat 69 euros regardless of the fault), and we'll restore your headphones to as-good-as-new condition.
- Trade-in deal: We've run offers where you can trade in your old headphones for a newer model at a discount. Ask us about the current situation.
Five-year-old headphones that have been repaired a couple of times and still work, that says something about how we do things. But even they aren't immortal.
If nothing helps
If troubleshooting didn't get you anywhere and the situation is unclear, send a message to info@valco.fi. Tell us your order number and what's wrong. We'll get back to you and figure it out.
We won't leave you alone with a broken pair of headphones. We can't afford to, every customer is funding our Death Star, and we need every last cent.
